The most frequently asked question I hear from my friends and family from home is, "So, What are you doing over there?" Well, the initial response "Just playing with my dingy!" doesn't really register in the head of my grandparents, so I have to switch it up a little bit. This post is about a current program that we are working on called, Junior Achievement. Junior Achievement is an organization that is geared towards teaching and promoting business concepts across the world. The organization is an American firm that was first introduced to Bulgaria by a Peace Corps volunteer way back in the day. Here in Belene, we introduced the concept to the local high school here and, with the help of one brave teacher, we were able to start a program here.
Junior Achievement has many different programs that will cater to your schools needs. The programs vary in difficulty and age range. We decided to choose the Company Program. For those who don't know what the Company Program is...
The Company Program, in essence, is a real company that is created and run by students in which they produce a good/service for payment. The Company Program runs from the beginning of the school year (September) and runs until the late spring (April). The program allows the students to get the feel for a real company, pros and cons. They have the opportunity to raise capital, draft a business charter/plan, elect a board of directors, create services or products, maintain financial integrity, etc... The program also allows the students to hire and fire personnel (students) as they see fit.
The school in which our program takes place is called, "Maria Skodvska Curie". This is a technical high school that was originally created as a high school with a focus on nuclear engineering (Due to the construction of the Nuclear Plant, which has been in process since the late 80's). The high school now serves as a general studies school, but also has an economic focus in some of its classes. With the help of Anelia, a teacher, we introduce the materials to the 11th grade class.
The reception of the program was meek at first, but when the students found out that there was a chance to make money, let’s just say, "Shit hit the fan". Since this program is based on the most simplistic capitalist ideas, the students were motivated by money at first. Ironically now, the students are trying to cut down on labor costs (their salaries) in order to make the company more profitable (what a concept, maybe US companies should take note).
The name of the company is, Оптимизъм за Белене, or Optimizium for Belene. The main focus of the company is advertising. Advertising in itself is a very broad field, but this also enabled them to participate in a wide variety of activities. Activities include, building an advertising website, creation of calendars and Christmas cards, and currently, mass production of Martanintsi (red and white bracelets).
So now you ask yourselves, where do I fit in? Well, during the week, the class meets for 1 hour specifically for Junior Achievement. You could call this a weekly staff meeting. At the meetings, the President attends to matters pertaining to the company’s’ problems and any issues or ideas they have for new ventures. I attend these meetings as an advisor to the company (without commission). We try not to tell them what to do, but just guide them on their way. The program is designed to lead them to mistakes, but it is up to them to fix. Every now and then, I will go in and teach them something relating to a problem they are having or just general business knowledge. For example, one class was about the different types of financial institutions and another was about the Cost-Benefit Analysis. Now, these sessions are usually, in itself, a source of comedy due to my patchwork Bulgarian on financial topics, but are taken and applied direct to there work. This is probably the first time I feel that I have actually transferred tangible skills to a group of people that will actually use them. I can see this first hand in the running of the company. Yes, I have participated in over a dozen "training sessions" with other organizations, done Power Points, and attend countless conferences but the transfer is not seen. Yeah, I am sure they may have learnt a thing or two about how to gain more funds from the EU, but have they really LEARNT anything? Maybe they have, and that is good, but with this program, they would not be able to continue or be success in the program without the knowledge taught by the teacher and I.
For any volunteer reading, I would recommend this program to you (COD,TeFL,or YD) as a good secondary project or just a project to do because you have an interest in teaching Business concepts to Bulgarians.
Ok, so everything is good here. I am taking everyday as it comes. I hope to post about my travels to other countries soon.
Stay Classy,
Chase
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